


tangled up in strings

by writerdragonfly



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Danny & Stiles are cousins, M/M, Post Nogistune, Stiles gets out of Beacon Hills, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-03 10:42:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8709265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerdragonfly/pseuds/writerdragonfly
Summary: Family does what it can.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Leslie_Knope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leslie_Knope/gifts).



> Fair warning, updates may be slow.

“Danny, I need to talk to you about something…” Danny can’t help the way the pit of his stomach plummets at his mother’s words, the worst possibilities running through his head.  
  
“Go ahead, Ma…” He manages to say, staring at the ceiling.  
  
“You remember your little cousin Stiles? His mother was my sister, Claudia?”  
  
“Yeah, Ma. I remember. Did something happen to him?”  
  
“Yeah, Daniel… I need to…”

-x-  
  
It’s not even a decision he makes so much as something he just does. He says yes without even talking to his uncle, without even getting the details from his mother.  
  
He just hears, “Your uncle said he’s showing some of the classic signs of PTSD…” And then he hears, “He’s only seventeen.”  
  
-x-  
  
“Are you sure about this, Danny?” His uncle asks him, sounding incredibly tired and hopeful with every syllable.  
  
“He’s family.”  
  
And that’s that.  
  
-x-  
  
Stiles ends up on the next flight out less than six hours later. Danny is just getting into the office when he gets the text with his flight information, and he hopes they don’t get a case before the kid gets in. He wants to take a couple of days off with him, get used to having him around, get to know him. Other than Thanksgiving, he hasn’t seen the kid since his aunt was still alive. And he hasn’t been back to Jersey for a family thanksgiving in almost two years now. He’d been planning to go this next fall, but with a teenager living with him now…  
  
But it doesn’t matter. Danny shakes his head when Kono offers him a malasada when he walks in and secludes himself to wait for Steve in his office instead.  
  
He doesn’t miss her worried look.  
  
-x-  
  
“Danno. What happened? Is Grace okay?” Steve asks as soon as he walks in. And shit, he really didn’t mean to make them think anything like that.  
  
“What? Yes, Grace is fine. I need to take a couple days off, though.”  
  
Steve doesn’t look any less worried, so Danny continues.  
  
“My little cousin is coming to live with me, all right? I don’t know all the details about what happened to him, but his dad said he’s showing signs of PTSD.”  
  
Steve’s eyes widen in surprise.  
  
“Afghanistan?” Steve asks, and Danny just shakes his head.  
  
“He’s in his junior year of high school. My uncle said he needed to get him out of there for awhile. Everything happened really fast, and I need to get some sleep before his flight gets in. I spent half the night getting a room ready for him.”  
  
“What the fuck happened to him?”  
  
“I wish I knew, babe. He’s family though. I gotta help him.”  
  
-x-  
  
He almost doesn’t recognize him. Stiles is tall and lanky, looking more like Matt than Danny. The comparison brings up a whole boatload of emotions Danny would rather not deal with, so he tries his best to push them down.  
  
“Danny?” Stiles asks hesitantly, looking down at him. Which, uncomfortable. Danny is nearly twice his age.  
  
“Yeah, kid. Let’s get you back to my place, get you settled in. You hungry?” He asks. Stiles doesn’t answer for a minute.  
  
“Do they have curly fries in Hawaii?”  
  
Danny’s lips quirk up into a smile. This might work after all.  
  
-x-  
  
Despite his attempt, Stiles barely manages to finish anything. He looks exhausted, the way people do after weeks of little sleep and inadequate meals. He can tell the kid is trying, but ultimately he knows the kid isn’t going to be able to do it.  
  
“You should head to bed. Your room is the one without all the pink. My bedroom door so closed, so you shouldn’t get confused.”  
  
Stiles nods in thanks, pulling himself away from the kitchen table. Danny cleans up their fast food trash and sticks the rest of the kid’s fries in the fridge.  
  
After a few minutes, he hears the toilet flush and the sink run and then a series of closing doors.  
  
-x-  
  
Stiles is awake before he is in the morning. There’s a look on his face when he walks into the kitchen that reminds him of Steve, like he’s thinking long and hard about something. But he doesn’t say anything.  
  
“You sleep well, Stiles?” Danny asks. Stiles shrugs. He knows the kid slept some, he’d checked on him an inordinate number of times. But he’d been awake more often than not. So Danny had too.  
  
He has some trouble connecting this Stiles to the one he remembers, bounding with inescapable energy. His mouth had always been moving and now... this.  
  
“What do you want to do today? The appointment to get you enrolled in Kukui High isn’t until tomorrow and my schedule is free and clear.”  
  
“Can we go to your precinct?”  
  
Danny blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected that.  
  
“I don’t actually work at the precinct anymore, kid. But we can head into the task force offices and you can meet my team, if you want?”  
  
Stiles grins, and Danny is surprised to see the way it lights up his entire face.  
  
-x-  
  
“Danno! Wasn’t expecting to see you today,” Steve says with a bright smile when he walks in. Stiles looks excited and impressed by what little they’ve seen so far.  
  
“Danno?” Stiles asks, and Danny groans.  
  
“Your cousin hasn’t heard Danno before?” Steve asks, smirking.  
  
“You, shut up with the face. Stiles, this is my partner Steve. Steve, my cousin Stiles. He’s from California. Say, where are Chin and Kono?”  
  
“Chin’s picking up lunch. Kono had to run to HPD. Steve McGarrett, nice to meet you.”  
  
“Stiles Stilinski. Danny was telling me you were a SEAL?” Stiles asked, and it’s like a switch has been flipped. Suddenly the kid is talkative and loud and Danny can see why his aunt was always playfully complaining about Stiles taking after him.  
  
Danny thinks he might be a little jealous that Steve gets him talking when he couldn’t. But he brushes it off and joins in.  
  
-x-  
  
The governor calls just as Chin comes in with a couple pizzas, and Stiles immediately picks up on the fact that Danny can’t just not help. Kono shows up a few minutes later with a travel mug and a frown.  
  
Stiles sits back, his head looking down at his phone as they talk about the case, bring up files. Danny makes to go with Steve, hesitating when he remembers Stiles.  
  
“I can wait in the car or you can drop me off at home. It’s not like I’m not used to it,” Stiles says, and Danny doesn’t even see anything in his face to suggest he’s upset by that.  
  
“Why are you used to it?” Kono pipes in, chomping down a slice of pizza as she throws on her light jacket.  
  
“My dad’s the county sheriff back home in California,” he says with pride, his whole body smiling with him.  
  
-x-  
  
Stiles actually does wait in the car. Danny is very impressed. He’s quiet again though, staring down at his phone without even making any attempt to text.  
  
They’re in and out of the crime scene relatively fast, Max being mostly done with his preliminary exam of their murder victim before  they even pull up.  
  
Steve doesn’t think before he starts talking about the case, just does it. Danny’s not surprised, but he does glance back at Stiles subtly using the mirrors to gage how uncomfortable he is.  
  
He doesn’t seem bothered at all, but Danny’s not sure if that’s because he’s used to it, or if it’s because he’s not hearing it at all.  
  
-x-  
  
“I’m sorry your first day got derailed, Stiles. We’ll take a few days and see some of the touristy things as soon as we close this case. ”  
  
“It’s okay, Danny. I get how important–”  
  
“No, Stiles. These cases, they’re not more important than you or my daughter, you got that? I just need to help solve them to keep you safe.”  
  
“You hardly know me,” Stiles protested.  
  
“You’re family. That’s all I need to know to love you.”


End file.
